Absolute Park Front Living

Rising to the Occasion

After watching their three adult children leave home in quick succession, Melbourne couple Les and Susan Smith considered apartment living only to realise there was nothing on the market that suited their specific needs. Sick of the constant upkeep of the house and garden, they were looking for a new home that offered the same level of luxury amenity, but with none of the associated hassle. Realising many were facing the same challenge, Les Smith, a developer, was driven to create a genuine alternative to apartment living “for those of us with more discerning tastes who are thinking about embracing apartment living for the first time”.

Leaving the Family Home

Making a decision to leave the family house in the suburbs is never easy. But when the children leave home and the owners are surrounded by manicured gardens, a pool and perhaps a tennis court, questions start to arise such as ‘Do we really need all this?’ When overseas travel comes into the picture or the beach house beckons every weekend, staying in the family abode makes less sense.

Developer Les Smith asked similar questions when he was pondering a move from his large family home in Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs. However, moving to a ‘box’ in the sky wasn’t an option, although many of the apartments he inspected could be described that way. He also thought that his frustration in finding a comfortable inner-city apartment that was more generous than the typical apartment would also be on the minds of others wanting to downsize from their large suburban homes that were no longer being fully used.

“I didn’t want to feel hemmed in or have that sense of claustrophobia you often get living in apartments, particularly if you’ve spent most of your time living in a home surrounded by gardens,” says Smith.

Smith came across one apartment that ‘ticked most of the boxes’ but had a waiting list of eager purchasers looking for the same thing. “I was looking for over a year. It becomes extremely frustrating aligning what’s in your mind to what is actually out there”.

So when Smith heard of an impending sale of a high-rise office tower bordering St. Kilda Road and Fawkner Park, a premium city-edge location, the idea of making a vision a reality took a step forward when Smith joined forces with leading real estate investment management firm, Qualitas, to secure the site. Originally built in the 1970s as offices, The Fawkner Residences, as it’s now known, at 499 St. Kilda Road, occupies an enviable position on Melbourne’s premier boulevard. On one side are views of Albert Park Lake as well as Port Phillip Bay. On the other side are unimpeded views of Fawkner Park (hence the name). A third aspect includes the city’s dramatic skyline. “These views simply can’t be built out,” says Smith, referring to the park, the tennis courts and the heritage-listed buildings on the other side of St. Kilda Road.

■ The Fawkner is a joint venture between LAS Group and Qualitas.READ LESS -

Re-booting Yesterdays Building for Todays World

With Melbourne being a ‘mecca’ for contemporary architecture, Smith would have an endless list of suitable architectural practices to convert an office building into premium residential apartments. However, keen to go well beyond the ‘cookie-cutter’ mould of producing predictable, almost identical apartments, he chose K.P.D.O. Known for their bespoke high-end residential work, as well as their hospitality projects in Melbourne, Sydney, America and Asia, both developer and architect were on the same page. “We wanted to create an experience from the moment you arrive at reception, a place that is warm and inviting,” says architect Stephen Javens, director of K.P.D.O.

And rather than create an architectural folly that might ignite the imagination for a nano-second, K.P.D.O wanted to provide a timeless environment that would continue to be discovered well after residents have moved in. “We saw it more like a slow reveal than presenting architectural statements at every turn,” he adds.

As important in K.P.D.O.’s scheme was for a restrained and elegant use of materials that would resonate both now and well into the future. Concrete, glass and travertine are to be as beautifully expressed in both the private and public areas of The Fawkner, as the way light falls, not dissimilar to seeing filtered light through a rich canopy found in a forest. “Sometimes, the most poetic way to see light is indirectly, whether it’s bouncing off from a reflective surface or filtered through a skylight,” says interior designer and director of K.P.D.O Kerry Phelan.

Smith, together with K.P.D.O. could have demolished the 1970s building and designed apartment cheek by jowl like many apartments you see today. Higher yields by maximising site coverage would have been an obvious choice. However, keen to retain a sense of being surrounded by gardens and maximising views, both developer and creatives decided to work with the existing structure, at least as the starting point.

“It’s a well-known building, quite muscular and strong even though it’s relatively ordinary by today’s standards,” says Javens, who appreciates the building’s proportions and could see well beyond the concrete balustrades impeding views, both near and distant. As Melbourne is renowned for its many parks, Javens and the rest of the team understood the importance of Fawkner Park on its doorstep and the verdant outlook towards Albert Park Lake. “Melbourne is known for having four seasons in one day, as well as during the year.

We were conscious of making this a focal point,” says Javens, who replaced the concrete balustrades with fritted angular glass to both reflect the lush gardens below together with the sky above. “You’re constantly aware of the seasonal changes, as well as the immediate changes in the weather, whether it’s a storm brewing or the city as dusk settles in,” he adds.

What was once an unremarkable office building will be transformed into a collection of generously proportioned one, two and three bedroom apartments (not including the five penthouse apartments that are more akin to ‘homes in the sky’. While each apartment has a bespoke design, there’s a commonality in the level of finishes and detail, with all enjoying the original building’s ‘great bones’. Generous glazing, zoning of functions and leafy outlooks from all vantage points are a hallmark of The Fawkner Residences. The eleven ground floor apartments, complete with their own private courtyards, also benefit from having direct access to either Fawkner Park or the on-site private gardens.

The L-shaped plan of the original 1970s building, with its relatively slender floor plates and high ceilings (2.85 metres), also ensures abundant natural light and unimpeded views from all apartments. “It’s a unique footprint that lends itself perfectly to quality apartments,” says interior designer Andrew McLeod, senior associate with K.P.D.O.

Like Smith, those residents leaving behind a large family home in the suburbs do so with some trepidation. Will they miss their garden (the aspect rather than the maintenance)? Will they have places to entertain friends and family? And while it might sound mundane, will there be sufficient storage in their new apartment to hold the many things they have collected not only after years, but decades living in a place that had a place for literally everything? So this multitude of questions came with the brief to K.P.D.O. “Storage is one thing that we take on board from the outset. It can make all the difference to the quality and enjoyment of living in an apartment as opposed to simply residing in it,” says Phelan who, with her team, designs places they would live in themselves.
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The information and images in this website are intended as a general introduction to The Fawkner and do not form an offer, guarantee or contract. Please note that whilst reasonable care is taken to ensure that the contents of this website are correct, this information is to be used as a guide only. All plans and images are conceptual only and may change at any time without notice. The computer generated images of apartments are indicative only. This material was prepared prior to the completion of design and construction of the building featured. The developer reserves the right to amend the finish and selections that constitute the external and internal fabric of the development due to unforeseen building constraints and product availability. Purchasers must rely on their own enquiries and the contract for sale. Published March 2015.